Let’s say you’ve come into a little money – about $6 million or so – and you want to buy a yacht. With that kind of cash you can shop in the mini-megayacht range, between 80 and 90 feet. But there’s another thing: You don’t want one that looks like all the other $6 million yachts berthed in Palm Beach, or Marina Del Rey, or Harbour Island, or the Riviera or wherever you plan to cruise. And yachts this size aren’t uncommon today, not like 20 years ago when a 90-footer stood out almost anywhere. Nowadays it takes something special to make a splash, something like the Azimut 88 Flybridge. Tipping the financial scales at 4,900,000 Euros (about $6,200,000 at press time), the Azimut 88 is a nice example of a mini-megayacht that won’t melt into the crowd.

Specifications

Azimut 88 Flybridge (2010-) Specifications

Length Overall

87' 11'' 26.80 m

Dry Weight

85 t

Beam

20' 11'' 6.4 m

Tested Weight

N/A

Draft

5' 10'' 1.8 m

Fuel Cap

2,377 gal. 9,000 L

Deadrise/Transom

N/A

Water Cap

343.4 gal. 1,300 L

Max Headroom

N/A

Bridge Clearance

N/A

Prices, features, designs, and equipment are subject to change. Please see your local dealer or visit the builder's website for the latest information available on this boat model.

Engine Options

Azimut 88 Flybridge (2010-) Engine options

Std. Power

2 x 1825-hp Caterpillar C32 ACERT

Tested Power

Currently no test numbers

Opt. Power

Not Available

Azimut 88 Flybridge (2010-) Captain's Report

Is this a yacht saloon or a hotel lobby? In either case, we’ll be happy to check in, although we’d prefer less teardrop to our deckhouse windows. The galley and lower helm station are forward.

High-Style Cruising

Nobody beats the Italians for innovative design, and the Azimut 88 epitomizes the Mediterranean yacht. There are ample sunning areas on deck, a hardtop with an opening hatch, a big swim platform and lots of windows to fill the cabins with natural light. Azimut designers like to include vertical hullside windows to illuminate belowdecks spaces – the Azimut 88 has seven in either side: four serve the full-beam master stateroom, the other three each of two side-by-side guest staterooms. Not to be left in the dark, a fourth cabin, all the way forward, benefits from large horizontal windows.

There are three guest cabins forward, two doubles and one twin, each with head, and a huge master stateroom amidships with a private stairway from the saloon. Crew lives aft.

Each cabin benefits from clean, uncluttered interior design – almost Oriental in its simplicity. The same theme runs through all the yacht’s accommodations. The saloon could be mistaken for an ultra-modern hotel lobby, with lots of couches and easy chairs, light-colored soles and white-paneled overhead. Again, big windows in the deckhouse (they’re a little too swoopy for our tastes, though) let in huge amounts of light, ideally accompanied by views of the Mediterranean.

The flying bridge reminds us of the poolside bar at a posh tropical resort – there’s a fully equipped bar, barbeque, a table for 8 and even a Jacuzzi; the towel’s hanging over the edge at left of the picture.

Where’s the Crew?

Even if the owner is a skilled boat handler, a yacht the size and complexity of the Azimut 88 requires a crew to keep in top shape both mechanically and cosmetically – and you’ll want a cook/steward to prepare and serve food, too. (In Europe, even yachts much smaller than this one generally carry at least one full-time hand.) Only thing is, you don’t want to see the crew when you don’t need them – don’t want them passing through the saloon, getting underfoot on the flying bridge, using the passageways belowdecks to get to their quarters.

When the weather’s good, why eat inside? The cockpit has a settee to seat six and four folding teak chairs. The table is teak, too with a stainless steel base. There’s also a bar here, and easy passage onto the swim platform.

No problem aboard the Azimut 88: The crew’s area, situated all the way aft, is completely separate from owner’s and guests’ quarters and living areas, on the other side of the engine room. Access is through a watertight door in the transom, and from a door on deck. There’s a single berth to port for the captain, opposite upper and lowers for two crew. The cabin includes a lounge area, head, crew dinette, refrigerator, washer/dryer and stowage. Engine room access is through the crew’s quarters. Both the owner’s party and the crew will be happier if they can stay apart as much as possible, and this layout makes it easy.

Dining area, saloon and cockpit are on the main deck, so passage is convenient among all three. The helm station has its own dinette; the galley is to starboard, aft of the helm and handy to the formal dining table.

The Owner’s Domain

The Azimut 88’s owner has his own domain, too – a massive full-beam stateroom located right amidships where it’s most comfortable. Access is via a stairway from the saloon; a second stairway from the wheelhouse leads to the three guest cabins forward. After a long day having fun, it’s nice to be able to get away from your guests, and this arrangement puts the owner in a private area, separated from his guests by the master’s full-beam head (two sinks, toilet, shower and bidet) and a walk-in closet, from the crew by the engine room. The cabin has a two-seat vanity/dinette, a safe and lots of stowage.

The master stateroom runs across the vessel’s midships. Its ensuite head is almost as wide, has two sinks, a toilet and a bidet. We love the clean design and the big hullside windows, four on each side.

No Osmosis

Not just a pretty face, the Azimut 88 is built to live in the sea for years at a time: The underbody is laminated with vinylester resin in the outer layers to resist osmosis, a concern when a yacht stays overboard for years on end, especially in warm water. An annual haul-out and bottom repainting doesn’t allow enough time for drying out. Azimut warrants the hull against osmosis for five years.

We wish our kitchen at home was as nice as this. Even better, the galley can be closed off from the dining area so the cook can work his/her magic in private. But it’s only steps to the table, and to the small dinette adjacent to the helm – the skipper needs to eat, too.

The rest of the laminate is in isophthalic resin, with PVC coring in the decks and superstructure. Watertight bulkheads forward and aft are laid-up in glass with foam coring; the rest of the interior structure is built from a variety of composite materials. The hull structure is approved by RINA, the Italian classification authority.

The VIP cabin forward is almost as nice as the master. Two large windows provide daylight, and there are halogen and LED lights overhead, and a hatch. But the ensuite head lacks a bidet.

The Powerplant is American

Power is twin Caterpillar C32 ACERT 1825-hp diesels with ZF 3000 V-drives. Interesting that Azimut doesn’t install expensive German engines; their choice of Cats says a lot about how those engines are regarded in Europe. We haven’t tested this boat, but Azimut says top speed is 30 knots at half-load, cruise 27 knots. Estimated range is 400 n.m. at cruising speed.

One guest stateroom has a large double berth; the other, two side-by-side singles. Both have similar heads, large hullside windows for natural light.

This is not a long-range vessel, at least not if you want to take advantage of the big Cats’ horsepower. For crossing oceans, think about a Nordhavn or other expedition-style vessel. Azimut builds yachts for near-shore adventures or trips to the islands, where most of us prefer to do our boating. Why own a yacht like this if nobody sees you aboard it, and you can’t pull into a classy marina and attract dock-gawkers? That’s half the fun, and why you spend $6 million. (Base price of the Azimut 88 Flybridge is 4,900,000 Euro, about $6.2 million at press time. We found a new 2009 boat on sale in Italy, well-equipped, for $5,575,000.)

But where do you keep the tender? The upper deck is taken by lounging areas, so it looks like the swim platform. Yes, it lifts: Azimut says it can handle a boat up to 3.5 meters (12’ 7”) long and 500 kg. (1,100 lbs).

Our Recommendation

If you’ve got the resources to buy and maintain a multi-million-dollar yacht, and you like the Med-inspired styling, go for it. We like the styling and we like Azimuts, so if we hit the lottery for something well into eight figures it’s off to Viareggio for us. But any yacht this size is a real financial commitment, so if you don’t live and breathe cruising, have lots of free time and a huge pile of discretionary funds, think carefully before signing the purchase contract. A yacht like this deserves the best of care, and that doesn’t come cheap. On the other hand, if you can swing it, it doesn’t get much better than the Azimut 88 Flybridge.

Standard and Optional Equipment

Azimut 88 Flybridge (2010-) Standard and Optional Equipment

= Standard = Optional

Azimut 88 Flybridge (2010-) Warranty

Azimut 88 Flybridge (2010-) Warranty Information

Warranties change from time to time. While BoatTEST.com has tried to ensure the most up-to-date warranty offered by each builder, it does not guarantee the accuracies of the information presented below. Please check with the boat builder or your local dealer before you buy any boat.

Full Warranty Information on this brand coming soon!

Azimut 88 Flybridge (2010-) Price

Azimut 88 Flybridge (2010-) Price

Pricing Range

$6,200,000.00

Prices, features, designs, and equipment are subject to change. Please see your local dealer or visit the builder's website for the latest information available on this boat model.